White House denies report that US to suspend aid to Egypt

The White House on Tuesday denied the US media report that the Obama administration has decided to suspend aid to Egypt. "The reports that we are halting all military assistance to Egypt are false," said the White House National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden in a statement on Tuesday evening. "We will announce the future of our assistance relationship with Egypt in the coming days, but as the president made clear at UNGA (the UN General Assembly), that assistance relationship will continue," said Hayden. CNN reported earlier on Tuesday that the Obama administration has planned to cut off military aid to Egypt, which costs about 1.3 billion billions annually. The network cited a U.S. official who requested anonymity as saying "an accumulation of events" in Egypt, including recent violence against protesters with dozens killed over the weekend, has prompted the decision of the full suspension of foreign aid to the country. The official told CNN the suspension will formally take effect in the coming days. CNN also reported that the United States has not yet notified the Egyptians of the decision and the announcement has already been pushed back a few times.